It is so hard to pick just one because all of our settlements are memorable. Every family we work for has a story. They all come from different backgrounds and different experiences and they all have their own reasons for building. One of the most emotional settlements of the year was for a client who built our Chesterbrook Craftsman Model on their lot in Fairfax. The house turned out so beautiful…

What was so memorable about this particular project was the story our client told at settlement. With tears in her eyes, she told us how she and her husband came to America from Afghanistan with nothing. They worked and worked, and saved and saved to build this home for their boys. That was the most important thing for them. That no matter what happened, their boys would always have a home. Wow. It reminded me how important our stories are. And to tell them and to tell them often because they matter and they influence people. “S” Family – thank you for that reminder and for blessing us with the opportunity to build your home!

FAVORITE SPECIAL PROJECT: NDI Scholarship Program

In 2017, we rolled out the NDI Scholarship Program. Through these scholarships, we hope to encourage young people to consider a career in the construction industry. There is such a great opportunity in residential construction for hard-working individuals and we need the next generation to run and work for the companies we depend on to build our homes!

These guys are excited about new home construction and we can’t wait to see what they do! And I look forward to the future of our scholarship program which looks bright since we raised enough money at our NDI Gives Back Golf Tournament to fund scholarships for many years!

I’m looking forward to what’s to come in 2018. We’re already planning for new designs, an office move to Fairfax, and two new spec projects. Stay tuned – it is sure to be a wild year!

About the author

NDI President Jennifer Landers writes a weekly blog about building custom homes in northern Virginia. She lives in Falls Church with her husband and two boys. In her free time, she enjoys running (when she's done), cooking (eating) and cheering (yelling at) the Virginia Tech Hokies.